We met through mutual friends on two separate occasions. On the first occasion I, Caitlin, was observing an English class in which Wood was a student. Wood says he immediately knew that he wanted to get to know me. I, however, was a little bit more focused on the class! The second occasion occurred a few weeks later. I had a free day from teaching so I went to a friend's school to offer my help in any way. She had me assist in Wood's class. I was immediately struck by Wood's natural gift of teaching. I didn't immediately recognize him as someone I met before, but spent most of the morning trying to figure out how I knew him. He of course, immediately recognized me, but said nothing. By the end of the morning I finally realized that he had been in my friend's English class.

At end the of the morning helping in Wood's class, we struck up a conversation about English classes. I learned that he also taught a lower level English class. (The class he was in was the final level.) I was interested in observing a lower level class because the class I was going to be starting was beginner level. We started making plans.

I honestly didn't think of Wood as anything other than a friend for a long time. He always had it in the back of his mind that he wanted to be more than just friends.

I went and observed in his class and we kept in touch following that day. He would periodically text me and see how I was and I could always feel how genuine he was being and was enjoying making a new friend. After a few months of casual conversation, Wood worked up the nerve to ask me out on a date. He didn't use the word date though so I just thought we were going to a concert as friends. I agreed to go.

Leading up to the concert, several people asked me if I was going on a date and I quickly responded with, "NO!" About thirty minutes into the evening I realized that I was totally on a date!!

Following the concert, we continued texting and sporadically hanging out. At first I wasn't completely sure that I was interested in being anything more than friends. But as time went on, Wood's genuine personality and joy of life captured me. His thoughtfulness, servant heart, and the way he lives his life for Jesus were all the things that I was looking for in a man.

We continued going on dates and as time came for me to make a visit home, I wasn't sure how I was supposed to refer to Wood when I talked about him. ((We'd never had an "official" conversation about the status of our relationship.))

So, I asked Wood what I was supposed to call him if people asked. He said, "Well aren't I your boyfriend???" I replied with, "Well you never officially asked, so I didn't know!" He officially asked after that.

For the next seventeen months we continued going on dates and spending more and more time together. I think that both of us knew fairly early on where this would one day lead.

We started talking marriage around our one year anniversary, but didn't yet have an official engagement.

On our seventeen month anniversary, Wood proposed at our favorite date night spot. Naturally I said yes!!!!

We are excited for all of the things that our future holds and wish that we knew all of them! We are always relying on God's will to guide is in the right direction. For right now we believe He is leading us to stay in Haiti for the time being. We anxiously await all that He has in store for our life together as husband and wife.